GIFT  OF 


TTbe 


declaration  of  Ifnfcepenbence 


1770 


literal  print 


WASHINGTON 

^Department  ot  State 

1911 


V3 


IN  CONGRESS,  JULY  4,  1776. 

THE   UNANIMOUS    DECLARATION  OF   THE   THIRTEEN   UNITED 
STATES  OF  AMERICA, 

WHEN  in  the  Course  of  human  events,  it 
becomes  necessary  for  one  people  to  dissolve  the  political 
bands  which  have  connected  them  with  another,  and  to 
assume  among  the  powers  of  the  earth,  the  separate  and 
equal  station  to  which  the  Laws  of  Nature  and  of  Nature's 
God  entitle  them,  a  decent  respect  to  the  opinions  of  man 
kind  requires  that  they  should  declare  the  causes  which 
impel  them  to  the  separation. —  -We  hold  these  truths  to 
be  self-evident,  that  all  men  are  created  ecjual,  that  they  are 
endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain  unalienable  Rights, 
that  among  the seja re  Life,  Liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  Hap 
piness.—  -That  to  secure  these  rights,  Governments  are 
instituted  among  Men,  deriving  their  just  powers  from  the 
consent  of  the  governed,—  -That  whenever  any  Form  of 
Government  becomes  destructive  of  these  ends,  it  is  the 
Right  of  the  People  to  alter  or  to  afeojj^h.it.  and  to  institute 
new  Government,  laying  its  foundation  on  such  principles 
and  organizing  its  powers  in  such  form,  as  to  them  shall 
seem  most  likely  to  effect  their  Safety  and  Happiness. 
Prudence,  indeed,  will  dictate  that  Governments  long  estab 
lished  should  not  be  changed  for  light  and  transient  causes; 
and  accordingly  all  experience  hath  shewn,  that  mankind  are 
more  disposed  to  suffer,  while  evils  are  sufferable,  than  to 

2403987 


4 

right  themselves  by  abolishing  the  forms  to  which  they  are 
accustomed.  But  when  a  long  train  of  abuses  and  usurpa 
tions,  pursuing  invariably  the  same  Object  evinces  a  design 
to  reduce  them  under  absolute  Despotism,  it  is  their  right,  it 
is  their  duty,  to  throw  off  such  Government,  and  to  provide 
new  Guards  for  their  future  security.—  —Such  has  been  the 
patient  sufferance  of  these  Colonies;  and  such  is  now  the 
necessity  which  constrains  them  to  alter  their  former  Systems 
of  Government.  i/The  history  of  the  present  King  of  Great 
Britain  is  a  history  of  repeated  injuries  and  usurpations,  all 
having  in  direct  object  the  establishment  of  an  absolute 
Tyranny  over  these  States.  To  prove  this,  let  Facts  be 
submitted  to  a  candid  world.—  —He  has  refused  his  Assent 
to  Laws,  the  most  wholesome  and  necessary  for  the  public 

vX 

good.—  —He  has  forbidden  his  Governors  to  pass  Laws  of 
immediate  and  pressing  importance,  unless  suspended  in  their 
operation  till  his  Assent  should  be  obtained;  and  when  so 
suspended,  he  has  utterly  neglected  to  attend  to  them.— 
(>.  He  has  refused  to  pass  other  Laws  for  the  accommodation  of 
large  districts  of  people,  unless  those  people  would  relinquish 
the  right  of  Representation  in  the  Legislature,  a  right  inesti 
mable  to  them  and  formidable  to  tyrants  only. —  -He  has 
called  together  legislative  bodies  at  places  unusual,  uncom 
fortable,  and  distant  from  the  depository  of  their  public 
Records,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  fatiguing  them  into  compli 
ance  with  his  measures.—  —He  has  dissolved  Representative 
,  Houses  repeatedly,  for  opposing  with  manly  firmness  his 
invasions  on  the  rights  of  the  people.—  —He  has  refused 
for  a  long  time, -after  such  dissolutions,  to  cause  others  to  be 


5 

elected ;  whereby  the  Legislative  powers,  incapable  of  Anni 
hilation,  have  returned  to  the  People  at  large  for  their  exer 
cise ;  the  State  remaining  in  the  mean  time  exposed  to  all 
the  dangers  of  invasion  from  without,  and  convulsions 
within.-^—  —He  has  endeavoured  to  prevent  the  population 
of  these  States;  for  that  purpose  obstructing  the  Laws  for 
Naturalization  of  Foreigners;  refusing  to  pass  others  to 
encourage  their  migration  hither,  and  raising  the  conditions 
of  new  Appropriations  of  Lands.—  —He  has  obstructed 
the  Administration  of  Justice,  by  refusing  his  Assent  to 
Laws  for  establishing  Judiciary  powers.—  —He  has  made 
Judges  dependent  on  his  Will  alone,  for  the  tenure  of  their 
offices,  and  the  amount  and  payment  of  their  salaries.— 
He  has  erected  a  multitude  of  New  Offices,  and  sent  hither 
swarms  of  Officers  to  harass  our  people,  and  eat  out  their 
substance.—  -He  has  kept  among  us,  in  times  of  peace, 
Standing  Armies  without  the  Consent  of  our  legislatures.— 
He  has  affected  to  render  the  Military  independent  of  and 
superior  to  the  Civil  power.—  —He  has  combined  with 
others  to  subject  us  to  a  jurisdiction  foreign  to  our  constitu 
tion,  and  unacknowledged  by  our  laws ;  giving  his  Assent  to 
their  Acts  of  pretended  Legislation :—  —For  quartering 
large  bodies  of  armed  troops  among  us: —  —For  protecting 
them,  by  a  mock  Trial,  from  punishment  for  any  Murders 
which  they  should  commit  on  the  Inhabitants  of  these 
States:—  -For  cutting  off  our  Trade  with  all  parts  of  the 
world : —  —For  imposing  Taxes  on  us  without  our  Con 
sent : -For  depriving  us  in  many  cases,  of  the  benefits  of 

Trial  by  jury :—  —For  transporting  us   beyond   Seas  to  be 


tried  for  pretended  offences:—  —For  abolishing  the  free 
System  of  English  Laws  in  a  neighbouring  Province,  estab 
lishing  therein  an  Arbitrary  government,  and  enlarging  its 
Boundaries  so  as  to  render  it  at  once  an  example  and  fit 
instrument  for  introducing  the  same  absolute  rule  into  these 
Colonies :—  —For  taking  away  our  Charters,  abolishing  our 
most  valuable  Laws,  and  altering  fundamentally  the  Forms  of 
our  Governments:—  —For  suspending  our  own  Legislatures, 
and  declaring  themselves  invested  with  power  to  legislate  for 
us  in  all  cases  whatsoever. He  has  abdicated  Government 

A 

here,  by  declaring  us  out  of  his  Protection  and  waging  War 
against  us.—  —He  has  plundered  our  seas,  ravaged  our 
Coasts,  burnt  our  towns,  and  destroyed  the  lives  of  our 
peogle.—  —He  is  at  this  time  transporting  large  Armies  of 
foreign  Mercenaries  to  compleat  the  works  of  death,  deso 
lation  and  tyranny,  already  begun  with  circumstances  of 
Cruelty  &  perfidy  scarcely  paralleled  in  the  most  barba 
rous  ages,  and  totally  unworthy  the  Head  of  a  civilized 
nation.—  —He  has  constrained  our  fellow  Citizens  taken 
Captive  on  the  high  Seas  to  bear  Arms  against  their  Coun 
try,  to  become  the  executioners  of  their  friends  and  Breth 
ren,  or  to  fall  themselves  by  their  Hands. He  has 

excited  domestic  insurrections  amongst  us,  and  has  en 
deavoured  to  bring  on  the  inhabitants  of  our  frontiers,  the 
merciless  Indian  Savages,  whose  known  rule  of  warfare,  is  an 
undistinguished  destruction  of  all  ages,  sexes  and  conditions. 
In  every  stage  of  these  Oppressions  We  have  Petitioned  for 
Redress  in  the  most  humble  terms:  Our  repeated  Petitions 
have  been  answered  only  by  repeated  injury.  A  Prince, 


7 

whose  character  is  thus  marked  by  every  act  which  may 
define  a  Tyrant,  is  unfit  to  be  the  ruler  of  a  free  people. 
Nor  have  We  been  wanting  in  attentions  to  our  Brittish 
brethren.  We  have  warned  them  from  time  to  time  of 
attempts  by  their  legislature  to  extend  an  unwarrantable 
jurisdiction  over  us.  We  have  reminded  them  of  the  cir 
cumstances  of  our  emigration  and  settlement  here.  We 
have  appealed  to  their  native  justice  and  magnanimity,  and 
we  have  conjured  them  by  the  ties  of  our  common  kindred 
to  disavow  these  usurpations,  which,  would  inevitably  inter 
rupt  our  connections  and  correspondence  They  too  have 
-been  deaf  to  the  voice  of  justice  and  of  consanguinity.  We 
must,  therefore,  acquiesce  in  the  necessity,  which  denounces 
our  Separation,  and  hold  them,  as  we  hold  the  rest  of  man 
kind,  Enemies  in  War,  in  Peace  Friends. — 

WE,    THEREFORE,    THE    REPRESENTATIVES   OF    THE    UNITED 

STATES  OF  AMERICA,  in  General  Congress,  Assembled,  appeal 
ing  to  the  Supreme  Judge  of  the  world  for  the  rectitude  of  our 
intentions,  do,  in  the  Name,  and  by  authority  of  the  good 
People  of  these  Colonies,  solemnly  publish  and  decl?rer  That 
these  United  Colonies  are,  and  ol  Right  ought  to  be  FREE 
AND  INDEPENDENT  STATES;  that  they  are  Absolved  from 
all  Allegiance  to  the  British  Crown,  and  that  all  political 
connection  between  them  and  the  State  of  Great  Britain,  is 
and  ought  to  be  totally  dissolved ;  and  that  as  Free  and 
Independent  States,  they  have  full  Power  to  levy  War,  con 
clude  Peace,  contract  Alliances,  establish  Commerce,  and  to 
do  all  other  Acts  and  Things  which  Independent  States  may 
of  right  do.—  —And  for  the  support  of  this  Declaration, 


8 


with  a  firm  reliance  on  the  protection  of  Divine  Providence, 
we  mutually  pledge  to  each  other  our  Lives,  our  Fortunes 
and  our  sacred  Honor. 

JOHN   HANCOCK 


R/ 


BUTTON  GWINNETT 

LYMAN   HALL 

GEO  WALTON. 

WM  HOOPER 

JOSEPH  HEWES, 

JOHN  PENN 

EDWARD  RUTLEDGE. 

THOS  HEYWARD  JUNR 

THOMAS  LYNCH  JUN* 

ARTHUR  MIDDLETON 

SAMUEL  CHASE 

WM  PACA 

THO?  STONE 

CHARLES  CARROLL  OF   CAR- 

ROLLTON 

GEORGE  WYTHE 
RICHARD   HENRY  LEE. 
TH  JEFFERSON 
BENJA  HARRISON 
THOS  NELSON  JR. 
FRANCIS  LIGHTFOOT  LEE 
CARTER  BRAXTON 
ROBT  MORRIS 
BENJAMIN   RUSH 
BENJ^  FRANKLIN 
JOHN  MORTON 
GEO  CLYMER 
JA?  SMITH. 


GEO.  TAYLOR 
JAMES  WILSON 
GEO.  Ross 
CASAR  RODNEY 
GEO  READ 
THO  M:  KEAN 
WM  FLOYD 
PHIL.  LIVINGSTON 
FRAN?  LEWIS 
LEWIS  MORRIS 
RICH?  STOCKTON 
JN°  WITHERSPOON 
FRAS  HOPKINSON 
JO'HN   HART 
ABRA  CLARK 
JOSIAH   BARTLETT 
W*1  WHIPPLE 
SAML  ADAMS 
JOHN  ADAMS 
ROBT  TREAT  PAY^NE 
ELBRIDGE  GERRY 
STEP  HOPKINS 
WILLIAM  ELLERY 
ROGER  SHERMAN 
SAMEL  HUNTINGTON 
WM  WILLIAMS 
OLIVER  WOLCOTT 
MATTHEW  THORNTON 


HISTORICAL    NOTE. 


The  delegates  of  the  United  Colonies  of  New  Hamp 
shire;  Massachusetts  Bay;  Rhode  Island  and  Providence 
Plantations;  Connecticut;  New  York  ;  New  Jersey;  Penn 
sylvania;  New  Castle,  Kent,  and  Sussex,  in  Delaware; 
Maryland;  Virginia;  North  Carolina,  and  South  Carolina, 
In  Congress  assembled  at  Philadelphia,  Resolved  on  the  loth 
of  May,  1776,  to  recommend  to  the  respective  assemblies 
and  conventions  of  the  United  Colonies,  where  no  govern 
ment  sufficient  to  the  exigencies  of  their  affairs  had  been 
established,  to  adopt  such  a  government  as  should,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  representatives  of  the  people,  best  conduce  to 
the  happiness  and  safety  of  their  constituents  in  particular, 
and  of  America  in  general.  A  preamble  to  this  resolution, 
agreed  to  on  the  i5th  of  May,  stated  the  intention  to  be 
totally  to  suppress  the  exercise  of  every  kind  of  authority 
under  the  British  crown.  On  the  7th  of  June,  certain  reso 
lutions  respecting  independency  were  moved  and  seconded. 
On  the  loth  of  June  it  was  resolved,  that  a  committee  should 
be  appointed  to  prepare  a  declaration  to  the  following  effect : 
"That  the  United  Colonies  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be, 
free  and  independent  States;  that  they  are  absolved  from 
all  allegiance  to  the  British  crown;  and  that  all  political 
connection  between  them  and  the  State  of  Great  Britain  is, 
and  ought  to  be,  totally  dissolved."  On  the  preceding  day 

9 


IO 

it  was  determined  that  the  committee  for  preparing  the 
declaration  should  consist  of  five,  and  they  were  chosen 
accordingly,  in  the  following  order:  Mr.  Jefferson,  Mr.  J. 
Adams,  Mr.  Franklin,  Mr.  Sherman,  Mr.  R.  R.  Livingston. 
On  the  nth  of  June  a  resolution  was  passed  to  appoint  a 
committee  to  prepare  and  digest  the  form  of  a  confed 
eration  to  be  entered  into  between  the  colonies,  and  an 
other  committee  to  prepare  a  plan  of  treaties  to  be  proposed 
to  foreign  powers.  On  the  i2th  of  June,  it  was  resolved, 
*  that  a  committee  of  Congress  should  be  appointed  by 
the  name  of  a  board  of  war  and  ordnance,  to  consist  of 
five  members.  On  the  25th  of  June,  a  declaration  of  the 
deputies  of  Pennsylvania,  met  in  provincial  conference,  ex 
pressing  their  willingness  to  concur  in  a  vote  declaring 
the  United  Colonies  free  and  independent  States,  was  laid 
before  Congress  and  read.  On  the  28th  of  June,  the  com 
mittee  appointed  to  prepare  a  declaration  of  independence 
brought  in  a  draught,  which  was  read,  and  ordered  to  lie 
on  the  table.  On  the  ist  of  July,  a  resolution  of  the  con 
vention  of  Maryland,  passed  the  28th  of  June,  authorizing 
the  deputies  of  that  colony  to  concur  in  declaring  the  United 
Colonies  free  and  independent  States,  was  laid  before  Con 
gress  and  read.  On  the  same  day  Congress  resolved  itself 
into  a  committee  of  the  whole,  to  take  into  consideration  the 
resolution  respecting  independency.  On  the  2d  of  July, 
a  resolution  declaring  the  colonies  free  and  independent 
States,  was  adopted.  A  declaration  to  that  effect  was,  on  the 
same  and  the  following  days,  taken  into  further  consideration. 
Finally,  on  the  4th  of  July,  the  Declaration  of  Independence 


1 1 


was  agreed  to,  engrossed  on  paper,  signed  by  John  Hancock 
as  president,  and  directed  to  be  sent  to  the  several  assemblies, 
conventions,  and  committees,  or  councils  of  safety,  and  to  the 
several  commanding  officers  of  the  continental  troops,  and 
to  be  proclaimed  in  each  of  the  United  States,  and  at  the 
'  head  of  the  Army.  It  was  also  ordered  to  be  entered  upon 
the  Journals  of  Congress,  and  on  the  2d  of  August,  a  copy 
engrossed  on  parchment  was  signed  by  all  but  one  of  the 
fifty-six  signers  whose  names  are  appended  to  it.  That  one 
was  Matthew  Thornton,  of  New  Hampshire,  who  on  taking 
his  seat  in  November  asked  and  obtained  the  privilege  of 
signing  it.  Several  who  signed  it  on  the  2d  of  August 
were  absent  when  it  was  adopted  on  the  4th  of  July,  but, 
/  approving  of  it,  they  thus  signified  their  approbation. 


' 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


18  1947 


NOV  18  1947 

NOV   26 
JAN  22  1948 


.. 


;; 


1954  LU 


9Defr59FW§ 
REC'D  LD 

DEC  2    1359 

250ct'60MM 


REG  D  i_0 

JOT  18  i960 

2bOct'62AE 
LD 


OCT  2  7 


LD  21-100m-9,'47(A5702sl6)476 


YC  28018 


19/1 
240987 


